The Thanksgiving tournaments have begun and the regular season is only one week away. The local girls basketball teams are gearing up for a very competitive winter in both the 4-AAAA and the 4-AAA divisions.

East Coweta, Fayette County and McIntosh are some of the stronger teams in the region but they will find some tough opposition from Griffin. East Coweta made it to the state championship last year but five members of that team have graduated. This year's squad returns four seniors and four juniors and, according to Coach Paula Jones, a return to the state championship is the team's goal. Some key players for the Lady Indians are seniors Janine Martin, Suzy Shellnut, Shavonne Middlebrooks and Ashley Martin. The Indians' strongest point is their depth and they are bigger at the post position than they have been in the past. East Coweta opens their regular season at home against Eagles Landing Dec. 1.

Fayette County defeated East Coweta last year before the playoffs and lost to Griffin in the playoffs but Coach Gene Mustain is optimistic at his team's chances this year. Seven starters return from last year's team that went 15-9, including the Lady Tigers leading scorer and rebounder the past three years, Fayette County is a big team with a lot of experience. "It is our biggest strength that many of these girls have been in the program for awhile and know what to do," said Coach Mustain. The Lady Tigers hope to win between 18 and 20 games this season and would like to top it off with a trip to the state playoffs. Fayette County opens their regular season at LaGrange Dec. 1.

McIntosh returns several key players who have excellent scoring and leadership capabilities. Senior Megan Jankowski led the team in scoring last year while senior Kim Schisler led the team in rebounds. The Chiefs' strengths are the enormous amounts of defensive pressure they put on teams, combined with their tremendous athleticism. Coach Steve Kidd has two of his softball players on the basketball team, Britte Hardy and Sabrina McCord, as well as a member of the state championship girls cross country team, Tani Gaan. McIntosh looks to overcome their obstacles by playing extensive defensive battles and shooting the three.

Though this will be the first, full-length varsity season for the Starr's Mill Lady Panthers, they played their first varsity game in last year's regional tournament. The girls faced Salem and won, without a junior class. This year, all those sophomores are juniors and the team is hungry for more varsity wins. Junior point guard Jamie Vining is the team leader. She led the team in steals last year, averaging six steals a game and effectively dishing the ball to her teammates. There are still no seniors and both Woodward Academy and North Clayton promise to be dominating forces in the region. Coach Teresa Hobbs has been preparing the girls for varsity play and the Lady Panthers have two transfers ready to contribute for them this year, C.C. Shipmon, from Sandy Creek, and Amy Holloway, a great athlete from Virginia. The Starr's Mill athletic teams do not back down from opponents and with a little luck the Lady Panthers could be playing in the postseason.

Coach Doug Crane has only set one goal for his Lady Patriots this year and that is simply to improve. Sandy Creek shot only 30 percent from the floor last year and better shooting is obviously the first thing the Lady Patriots will have to improve on. They are very deep at the guard position. There are three junior guards, Lauren Hale, Amanda Lambert and Alexis McCoy, who should see a good deal of playing time. Down low, the Lady Patriots are strong with 6'0 junior center Ashley Lott and senior forwards Lauren Boyd and Laura Rabold. Boyd and Rabold offer team leadership as well as points.Sandy Creek must face Morrow, Woodward and North Clayton all within the first month. If the team can improve there may be a run at the end of the season in store for the Lady Patriots.

Back to the Top of the PageBack to the Sports Home Page